No More Chemical Hair Care–Part 1

I can’t believe that I’m actually going to say this, but I am happier with my hair now that I have not only eliminated shampoos from my hair regimen, yet “natural” conditioners too. So you are probably wondering what in the world have I been cleansing and conditioning my hair with, and how am I keeping my hair healthy? The answer is simple 100% natural herbs and oils, plus edible ingredients.

Ingredients such as cetyl alcohol, emulsifying wax, and wheat protein are all chemically processed. I also learned that popular conditioner ingredients such as BTMS aka behentrimonium methosulfate, cetrimonium bromide, quaternium-15 are all quaternary ammonium compounds and can cause contact dermatitis as well as contribute to unnecessary water pollution. –Source

Other conditioner ingredients such as cetrimonium chloride, stearalkonium chloride, and cetalkonium chloride can create dry and brittle hair after long-term use. –Source

When I was thinking about these types of conditioning ingredients, it made me wonder why they were so valuable in hair care in the first place. I also began to question why so many “natural” cosmetic brands, and smaller home-based beauty businesses where using chemical ingredients in their products. Now even toxic chemical cosmetic ingredients are available to everyone with internet access. It also had me determined to see if it was possible to truly maintain healthy curly hair without these traditional chemical conditioner ingredients.

Curly hair needs gentle cleansing, some sort of slippery product to detangle and condition hair, and another to clump curls to be remain frizz free. Straight hair also needs cleansing and detangling without being weighed down by oils especially if the scalp already produces excess sebum while leaving hair shiny with volume. Chemically altered hair needs serious strengthening and sealing of the hair cuticle to make it appear healthy.

I decided to do some research on The Long Hair Community to see what natural ingredients women with all hair type were using to maintain their long straight, wavy, and curly hair. I wanted to know what was and was not working. Many women were happily using herbs and natural oils for healthy hair care. Many of these simple ingredients I have tried, while a few were new to me.

I’ve continued to play around with a bunch of different natural ingredients. I want to start by saying that my hair is softer yet stronger than when I was using conditioner ingredients.

I do get single strand knots although less than before, and my split ends have drastically been reduced. My hair may have been over conditioned from co-washing consistently, and using conditioners as a leave-in which caused excess split ends. I can tell that my hair is very healthy currently based on how it feel without being coated with synthetic ingredients. It was odd at first to feel my naked hair without “natural” conditioners that I was using in the past or even making myself, yet I absolutely love it now.

Here is a list of 100% natural alternatives to healthy hair care for all hair types.

Don’t tell anyone…but I often wondered how people maintained beautiful healthy shining hair in the times when all these products weren’t available…thinking back how in the old movies of the scenes where people would wash their long shiny flowing hair in a pond in Hawaii…

P.S. I store my mixture in a recycled Shea Moisture Shampoo bottle. I peeled of the label, took the ‘goo’/glue off with acetone-free nail polish remover, washed it with Dr. Bronner’s soap and air-dried it.Yay for recycling!

I stopped using conditioner about a year ago. I recently used Kinky- Curly’s Knot Today, and it sure felt weird putting conditioner in my hair. It feels sooo grimy, sticky and itchy. I guess I got used to ACV rinse/oil leave ins.

Hi Vera, It is a unique experience dealing with our hair not coated with synthetic ingredients. When we find out that we can have healthy hair without them, conditioner feels like a strange residue when we do use it. I haven’t used apple cider vinegar rinses in awhile, but I do enjoy simple herbal rinses and oil/butter leave-ins. Thanks for your comment!

I decided recently to start researching no come up with some DIY recipes for my natural hair because I still have breakage after over a year as a natural and beginning to use henna. I want to make a spritz, a scalp serum, a clarifying/ conditioning mask and a butter.

Hi Aja,
Doing research is the best thing that you can do to learn more about healthy hair care. Making your own products doesn’t have to be complicated and I’m glad that you are excited to do it. In Part 2 I describe how you can create your own cleansing/conditioning hair treatment with herbs and clays. I’ll most likely continue this series next week.
Hope all is well!

Thank you so much for sharing this information. I’m currently transitioning from chemically permed hair to natural, and have been researching herbs & oils to help strengthen & enhance my hair in its natural state. Inspired by daughter’s naturally thick & beautifully coiled hair, I would also like to be able to maintain her hair w/o over exposing it to chemicals & store bought products.

Definitely research cassia and henna too. I’ve read that cassia does not have the long lasting benefits that henna seems to have, yet they will both strengthen and condition hair like no other. I think that it will also help with transitioning. Cassia will not tint dark hair at all so many who are weary of the color that henna gives turn to it. I thought that my hair would look Rhianna red if I used henna, yet most can hardly see the color unless I’m in sunlight.

It’s also great that you have become more conscious of product ingredients for yourself and your daughter. I believe that children’s bodies do not need to be trying to process chemicals in cosmetics or foods while they are growing up. Best wishes with everything.

Will you discuss how long items last? I have a bottle of almond oil over a year, and it doesn’t smell/feel different. Same goes for my whipped shea butter. How long do oils and whipped shea butter last and how can you tell when they’ve gone bad?

As long as you are not mixing oils and butters with water, aloe vera, or other liquids you do not have to be concerned with shelf life or preservatives if you are using them up within a year or two. At the same time there are some oils such as hemp oil or wheat germ oil that need to be refrigerated. Mixing hemp or wheat germ oil with other carrier oils and butters will extend their shelf life as they can otherwise go rancid quickly if not refrigerated or mixed with more stable carrier oils.

When I purchase oils and butters from Mountain Rose Herbs they give great product profiles including the shelf life of each item. For instance apricot kernel oil has a recommended shelf life of 2 years. Each oil and butter is uniquely different. You can go to their site and look up the item profiles of carrier oils and butters that you like to use. Hope this helps.

Thank you for this info! I have never chemichally treated my hair but was on a Pantene regimen for years, which actually did manage my curls and frizz very nicely, but did cause a good amount of breakage and split ends. I am now on month 3 of diluted DrBronner’s soap as shampoo, a diluted vinegar rinse and testing various conditioners. Currently using a silicone, sulfate free store bought conditioner that is very light and I add wheatgerm oil to it. I’ve been experimenting with the Shea Moisture products as they have a wonferful list on ingredients, but while they give me shine and softness, I find they always give me volume and “puffs” to my curl which I don’t need. Since the commerical conditioner + wheat germ oil combo doens’t cause that, I am wondering if it’s the protein in Shea Moisture that doesn’t agree with my hair.

Any thoughts on protein for soft, frizzy, 3a,3b curls? is it possible I don’t need protein?

It takes some much trial and error to figure out what each individual’s hair needs. I am jealous you are so much further down the road, but thanks so much for sharing your experience!

personally have never liked protein conditioners yet have found that my henna treatments with coconut milk strengthen my hair in the way that most look to protein conditioners for yet I believe better. If you haven’t seen Part 2 of this series check it out. I will continue this series next week.

I’m glad that you are enjoying the benefits of wheat germ oil too. I like to mix a few drops of my favorite essential oil with wheat germ oil so that I can use it as a leave-in. It makes my hair so soft. Also I know that you will find your best hair regimen with more trial and error. It does take time to figure it out but you are already making good progress just by noticing that the Pantene regimen didn’t work and reading the ingredients of your products.

Also you may want to look more into using a hair cleanser with a lower pH if you notice any more dryness or breakage from the Dr Bronner’s Soap. I know some women have shared that if their hair has low porosity that it is necessary to using a high pH for their hair cleanser so that more water can enter their hair cuticle. Only you will know though. It is perfect that you are following with a vinegar rinse though too.

Any thoughts on Alkyl Benzoate? Read about it on a blog called points of interest and got some out of curiosity. I added 1.5oz of t to my 8oz mix of water, aloe juice and panthenol. It gave my hair a lot of shine without any oily feeling (which was a problem I had when I tried to leave either coconut oil or olive oil in my hair before) So Alkyl Benzoate is on my good list so far, but wondering if you had any thoughts on it. Thanks!

Hi BrownCurls, I haven’t used alkyl benzoate before. I am now steering clear of even “safe” chemicals as much as I can. I’ve previously used ingredients such as panthenol and silk amino acids in product formulations, yet I’m working on using pure ingredients which are better for the environment and the water supply.

I hear ya on the water supply issues. It is a pretty big problem. I’ll keep playing around and see how far I can get on the chemical free path.

I am about to try the shea moisture cond. you reviewed, the restotarive one, that one doesn’t have any protein. We’ll see if it works well enough for me that I don’t have to buy that other commercial one I’ve using with the wheatgerm oil.

Hey there! I feel like I am in the middle of major brainstorming and you are my distant pen pal 🙂

Going over your previous comment about ph of my cleanser, I decided to read about hair porosity, because I didn’t know what porosity I have. Turns out my two strands of hair were still floating near the surface of a cup full of water, after over 10 minutes. So yeah, pretty safe to say I have loooow porosity hair! So i’ve read some about low porosity via google and apparently heat is one thing I may need in order to drive the conditioning elements into my hair. One idea is to get a baby bottle warmer and warm up my leave in before putting it on. Will be playing with that this weekend.

I also read that some women use precisely castille soap to help with low porosity, and apparently adding a drop of castille into the actual conditioner will help the conditioner penetrate. I will be trying that as well. Apparently I need to seal with light oils like Argan, and probably this is why my hair did well with the Alkyl Benzoate, but I am gonna try to find alternatives for that. Apparently I could mix Argan with distilled water and use lecithin as emulsifier, to spray all over my scalp and hair. So that’s next on my experimenting list for a leave in.

Also doing a baking soda wash could open my cuticle, and then I would wanna do the vinegar rinse as the last step, AFTER I condition. I’ve never done a baking soda wash, but will definitely give it a shot. Question: Would Yucca root or your other herbal options be a better choice than baking soda as far as alkaline options for low porosity hair?

Any thoughts you may have on any of this would be awesome! 🙂 Otherwise just wanted to put this out there for any other low porosity readers out there.

Hi BrownCurls,
I’m honestly out of pH strips right now so can not personally test the pH of yucca root. It is supposed to be naturally pH balanced for use on skin and hair, yet can’t say for sure what the exact pH is or how it compares to using baking soda for low porosity hair. I have heard about the importance of using heat when deep conditioning hair as it will help to penetrate the hair follicles so much better. Many enjoy hot oil hair treatments for that reason as well. Also making your own products is one of the best way to formulate custom beauty products specifically for your needs so I would definitely encourage it.
Best,
Dawn Michelle

I use bentonite clay as a shampoo after reading your blog (At $6 it can’t hurt), but before that I tend to cleanse my hair with apple cider vinegar. It makes quite the stripping combination but I am prone to dandruff and this combination keeps the flakes away. I also swear by some Organic Shea Moisture products. Honestly, I just can’t do the whole make my own thing. I occasionally deep condition with things around the house (eggs and coconut oil, yoghurt, Honey, Avocado, etc).
By the way Dawn, do you by any chance have a tutorial or tips on trimming hair? My split ends drive my nuts but I don’t know how to do them myself and I have not let anyone touch my hair in five years!

Hi Daisy,
Mixing bentonite with ACV is an AWESOME combination, and may make your cleansing/conditioning hair regimen simpler and easier. You can also add water if you prefer a more liquidy mixture like I do. I’m going to write about truly natural conditioners and leave-ins this week for this chemical free hair series so keep a look out for that. As for trimming I wrote this article all about what I’ve learned cutting my own hair over the years. If you have curly hair this will be extremely helpful. Also if you have straight or wavy hair the video in this article will be helpful for cutting layers in your hair as well. Here is a GREAT video for creating a U-shaped cut/trim for straight hair, or for those who prefer to straighten you hair before cutting.
Best,
Dawn Michelle

Thanks for the feedback Dawn. Your talk about PH strips made go test myself. Guess what the ph of my diluted Castile soap in water came up to 9, yikes. (I thought I made a 1/10 dilution if I recall correctly) but worse, my diluted ACV rinse came out to 2! Double yikes. Is it any wonder my hair is breaking with that kind of ph swing!

I was at target and saw the kinky Curly stuff, since you’ve reviewed it favorably before, I read the labels and saw that the ingredients are very nice and they claim to be ph balanced, so I decided to go with their shampoo and knot today condish to give my hair a break with some ph balanced products. So far they feel great in the shower and the curls are looking good afterwards, so zi am gonna stick to this for about a month to let my hair adjust to a normal ph.

Hi BrownCurls, I’m glad that you were able to test your own products. It is crazy how using products or ingredients that are not pH balanced can wreck havoc on skin and hair. So happy I could help out. Talk soon!

Hi Brie,
The transition period is different for everyone. I wouldn’t be scared of it, just know that if it is something that you truly want to do there are so many resources online to assist you. I wrote this article about my personal transition, yet now that I’m on the other side I couldn’t be happier. It is important to keep your hair especially your ends hydrated during this process. It is a beautiful thing to no longer be dependent on chemicals or strip your hair of its natural oils with shampoos or surfactants in conditioners.
I wish you the best!

Hello! I have really been wanting to start an all natural hair care routine. But, I have very damaged hair (due to dying and accidental over bleaching) so I get a lot of split ends and frizz. I have just started to grow it out to its natural color. I am really worried that only using something like coconut oil won’t give me enough protection from split ends. (I use coconut oil already and try to limit other products). Any tips/ideas on how to use a natural regimen and keep my ends and hair intact? I am really worried about the damage. (It is long, thick, straight, coarse, and damaged with a LOT of split ends)
Thank you so much!
I have been enjoying your blog 🙂

One way to strengthen your hair is with henna. Henna will deposit into any weak areas of your hair as well as provide color and shine to your bleached hair to match your natural hair color. Henna in general is red, yet when mixed with indigo and/or cassia can create a range of natural hair colors from strawberry blond to jet black.

I have used henna for four years now and have greatly benefited from this natural plant dye. It conditions like no other. I only mix it with coconut milk and speak more on why here. When I’ve tried mixing it with tea or other liquids it has been a mess and an awful process to rinse out. You can find premixed henna colors here.

Remember if you buy henna at an Indian grocery store or elsewhere to only purchase body art quality henna. Also know that if your hair is bleached blond or very lightly that you may have to do at least two applications of henna to achieve the color that you desire.
You can also find more articles on Minimalist Beauty about henna here. Your hair will respond to natural hair care more easily once it has been strengthened. Henna is 100% botanical yet still a permanent color with extremely long lasting conditioning results. Let me know if you try it.
Best wishes!

I shaved my head six years ago and have kept it cropped short ever since. I transitioned to an entirely DIY hygiene routine about a year ago, and not having information about how to combine minimalist hair care with curly hair has kept me from trying to grow it out again.

Hi Emily,
Thanks so much! I kept my hair really short for years too. It is such a freedom and so easy to care for. I recently have been using a mix of herbal hair care with water only hair washing which I shared in this article. My new regimen is the most minimalist hair care for curly hair that I’ve ever experienced and absolutely love. I hope you are having a beautiful day!

I’ve just stumbled on your blog and it’s really sparked my interest. I have similar problems with my hair like at the start of your hair journey but am unable to find solutions and don’t know if you can help.
I have severely dry natural hair due to an eczema dermatitis condition but I keep it under control with natural products. Starting my natural hair journey was also because of this but 2years in I developed severe allergies to my shea butter, castor oil, and cocao butter:(! The only things that kept my hair from drying up. I have very fine, dense and very porous hair so dry hair is really an issue. But my hair is also very protein sensitive so coconut oil, avocado oil, flaxseed gel& oil etc cause major breakage. But I am allergic to most oils and products, i am allergic to aloe vera, glycerine, camellia oil, grape seed oil, shea butter, cocao butter, rice bran oil, flaxseed. I think I have a sensitisation to nut derived oils because Argan oil causes severe eczema reactions for me.
I was wondering if you could suggest anything you think would help?
My hair is so dry and just breaking off in clumps it’s discouraging. Don’t know what to do as my hair is really 4a coily and fine so it breaks easily. I tried water rinsing but my dry skin just naturally doesn’t produce enough oils to condition my hair. And I am so reactive leaving conditioner in my hair doesn’t work any more. Any suggestions would really be welcome

Hi Stella,
How long did you try water only hair washing, and if you stopped what are using as a hair cleanser? I believe hair dryness should be approached first with using a gentle hair cleanser or water only hair washing. You can see a very simple hair care regimen that I like here. You can modify it by not using coconut milk if it doesn’t work for you.

Also it is extremely important to look at your diet. Diet, digestion, elimination, and gut health in general is the root cause of most if not all body ailments. Also making sure that you are hydrating your body from the inside out as well as eating healthy fats such as avocados, etc. You can read more in nutrition here.

I’ve gotta agree with the person that said “you go deep”. That’s what I love about your blog! I’m trying to get away from commercial hair care and make my own DIY products. I’m trying to understand everything so please forgive me for any dumb questions. I want to make my own rinse out conditioner. I’ve gotta a dc and leave in already. Can I use Irish moss for my emulsifier? I read that it was, I just wanted your input. I use most of the items you have listed in my hair care regime. I know a supporter of your blog asked you about okra. Have you tried it yet? I Used it for a leave in and I like it. Please help me lol Thank You 🙂

Thank you for sharing your research. I would like to make my hair care products chemical free, so I am interested in trying some of your suggestions. Do you think the hair care regime you mention will work on hair that is blow dried and flat ironed regularly? My hair has a very tight curl in the back, more loose in the front, and it is short (a little above shoulder length when blown dry). I never wear my hair in its curly state. I’m wondering if going chemical free will protect my hair from heat styling.

Hi Aria,
I wear my hair curly 95% of the time, yet have used grapeseed oil as a heat protectant when I have done heat styling in the past. Chemical-free hair care is all about avoiding the toxic ingredients in traditional store bought products. Heat styling can cause damage to all hair types no matter what products are used. It is more about the techniques used with heat styling and finding ways to achieve the results you desire with minimum heat overall. I hope that this is helpful in some way.

Thank you for all of your helpful advice, I love your page. I currently use yucca one to cleanse my hair, I have tried Amla and conditioning herbs etc but they give me a reaction, yucca seems to be the only thing that works for me. I have bleached porous very dry hair that breaks easily. I want to continue getting bleached blonde foils so I am not interested in henna and coconut milk is too inconvenient for me, I would prefer to use a conditioner. Could you please recommend a regime? I like all of the hair brands you recommend I am just not sure which brands/products to use and in what order? I’d really appreciate your help because my hair is in a really bad state.

Hi Cathy,
Thanks so much for the compliment and I’m glad that you’ve found that yucca root works so well for you! I’ve never had bleached hair, yet I do know that it requires a lot of maintenance and can break very easily. My recommendations for strengthening hair honestly would be to use henna and/or cassia because that is what I know for caring for hair naturally. Cassia is considered neutral henna, yet if you hair is bleached, it could still create golden highlights on lightening colored or ash tone hair. Most likely when using bleach on your hair it would be necessary to use store bought products and treatments to maintain the integrity as much as possible. Just Natural Organic Care has a hair care line for color treated hair although I have not tried their hair products. It is a plant based product line though. I hope this helps!

Hi Dawn
I’ve seen on your other blogs that you suggest rhassoul clay with aloe vera as a hair cleanser. Would I need to add something like aritha or yucca to this, or would it work just with the two ingredients? Thanks

Hi Dawn
In other blogs you mention using rhassoul clay and aloe vera to cleanse hair. Would I need to add something like yucca or another saponin, or would the rhassoul and aloe vera be okay on their own? Thanks as always xxx

Hi Dawn
Help! I’ve been using rhassoul mixed with aloe vera juice as shampoo for a couple of weeks and I have a couple of questions.
1. My hair hasn’t felt really clean – I know that it won’t be squeaky clean as with ‘normal’ shampoo, but my hair has felt almost tacky when I run my hands through it – is this normal?
2. This morning I used the same mix as above and when I combed my wet hair loads of bits came out. I’ve never had dandruff but the bits were much bigger than I think dandruff would be. I know that it sounds disgusting, but there was so much that it looked like a layer if my scalp was coming away! No soreness or redness at all. Interestingly, today my hair has felt the cleanest since using r and av mix. Again, is it normal for skin to shed like this after a while?

Thanks for all your great advice recently – I’m shocked about how scary it feels to move from chemical laden products to powerful but natural ones!!! How brainwashed we all are!!!

Hi Isabella Chris,
The herbs mentioned are Ayurvedic and western herbs. Ayurvedic herbs can often be found if there is an Indian grocery store in your area. You can also find these herbs online at Mountain Rose Herbs if within the US, or simply search online and check Amazon to find these herbs. I hope this helps some!

Hi Lala,
Mushy hair can be caused by over moisturizing strands that are fine, chemically treated, or damaged in some way. A light protein treament can be very helpful. When you say “all of that” what specifically are you referring to?

Hi,
I’m so excited to have found your blog – when I saw the Proverbs 31 quote I knew I had come to the right place (Prov 31:30 has been haunting me as I’ve been crazy focused on hair care this past week)!
Here’s my story – for the past 8 years, I’ve been washing my hair (wavy 2C I think) with baking soda and vinegar, and using homemade flax seed hair gel. I typically wash once a week, sometimes with a water wash midweek, but honestly I’m self-conscious about how my hair looks most days. I recently came across the Curly Girl Method while looking for ways to care for my biracial daughter’s hair (she’s 15 months old, 1/4 black 3/4 white), and I’ve started trying the CGM on her and myself (so far, CO-washing with a SheaMoisture conditioner). The process definitely isn’t finished yet for either of us, but the deeper I research CGM, the more dissatisfied I am with the idea of using 5-6 combinations of chemical-containing products on my/her hair every day. I really am a minimalist but I got excited by the transformations I saw with CGM so I started getting sucked in. However, one thing I found on Curlsbot suggested using Marshmallow root for conditioning and flax seed gel for styling wavy hair, which led me to your fantastic website and got me wondering if I could still stay minimal/natural. SO, my questions for you are:
-What would you recommend as a start for someone like me who is looking for better results than baking soda and vinegar but wants to stay minimal? Would simply conditioning with marshmallow root work?
-Do you have suggestions of where to start with my baby’s hair?
Thanks so much for your amazing resources!

Hi Liz,
I’m all about keeping it simple and not using store bought products. Everytime I try a conditioner my scalp usually goes insane and I go back to making my hair care again. It’s happened multiple times over the years. That is the main reason I don’t use even store bought “natural” conditioners.

This hair care series shares a bunch of ideas for diy cleansers and conditioners. I primarily do water only washing for my son’s hair and on a rare occasion use a shampoo bar. I honestly don’t think children need too much. I also use oil and shea butter in his hair in small amounts. His hair has never had any problem curling up which is why I don’t rely on products. Flaxseed gel has been great for his hair too. I still love and use flaxseed gel. I hope this helps some.